Video cassettes used with video cassette recorders are substantially rectangular box-shaped structures having a tape wound onto two reels that are rotationally mounted within an outer cover of the cassette. Each reel has a central sprocket receiving opening which engages a driving member on the video cassette recorder. The outer cover of the cassette has circular access apertures which are aligned respectively with the central sprocket receiving openings in each reel. To facilitate mounting of the cassette in the video cassette recorder, each reel is movable within the outer cover, but is biased to a position adjacent and centrally aligned with its circular access aperture in the outer cover of the cassette.
It is desirable to protect the cassette prior to purchase and during periods of storage between successive uses. More particularly, it is desirable to provide a container which will protect all sides of the cassette from damage that otherwise could occur if, for example, the cassette is dropped or mishandled during shipping or storage. Protection of the cassette is particularly important because damaged cassette structures cannot be replaced or repaired easily, and because a damaged cassette can damage the recorder in which it is placed. It is also desirable to securely enclose the cassette to prevent the accumulation of dust and other foreign matter on the tape and on the reels. Such foreign matter often has a detrimental affect on both the cassette and the recorder.
Video cassettes are manufactured and sold in both the VHS size and the more compact Beta size. The VHS cassettes are approximately 20% larger than the Beta cassettes. Most prior art storage containers for video cassettes are manufactured in two distinct sizes which correspond respectively to the sizes of the VHS and Beta cassettes. Many of the storage containers include a rectangular bottom wall, at least three upstanding side walls and a hingedly attached rectangular top wall. Other prior art cassette storage containers include separate base and cover members. The base members of these prior art containers is a substantially box-shaped structure into which the cassette is slidably inserted. The cover member is dimensioned to be telescopingly slid over the base member.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,184,594 which issued to Bruce A. Hehn on Jan. 22, 1980, is directed to a storage container which is intended to accept both the VHS and the Beta cassettes. The storage container of U.S. Pat. No. 4,184,594 is a hinged top container, the bottom wall of which includes first and second projection members. The first projection member of U.S. Pat. No. 4,184,594 is defined by a pair of concentric inner and outer annular rings which extend upwardly from the bottom wall, while the second projection member is defined by two arc sections which are joined into a generally oval configuration. In use, the circular openings in the outer cover of the cassette are engaged respectively by the outer annular ring of the first projection member and by one arc section of the second projection member. More particularly, when a Beta cassette is in the container of U.S. Pat. No. 4,184,594, the arc section of the second projection member most distant from the first projection member is intended to engage part of one circular access aperture in the outer cover of the Beta cassette. Conversely, when a VHS cassette is stored in the container of U.S. Pat. No. 4,184,594, the arc section of the second projection member nearest the first projection member is intended to engage part of one circular access aperture in the outer cover of the VHS cassette. In this manner, the first and second projection members of the container of U.S. Pat. No. 4,184,594 are intended to accept and retain either the Beta or VHS size video cassettes.
The container to which U.S. Pat. No. 4,184,594 is directed has several deficiencies. Specifically, the outer annular ring of the first projection member and the entire second projection member are intended to engage only the outer cover of the cassette structure, and not the reels therein. Consequently, the outer annular ring and the second projection member of U.S. Pat. No. 4,184,594 both are of a height approximately equal to the thickness of the plastic material from which the outer cover is constructed. As a result of this relatively low height of the projection members of the container to which U.S. Pat. No. 4,184,594 is directed, the cassette can easily become disengaged by minor movements of the container made by the user as the user is closing the container. Attempts to close the container of U.S. Pat. No. 4,184,594 while the cassette is improperly positioned, can cause damage to either the cassette or the container.
The ability of the container of U.S. Pat. No. 4,184,594 to properly retain either the VHS or Beta cassettes is dependent upon the precise dimensions of and spacing between the access apertures in the outer cover the cassette. It has been found, however, that the dimensions and spacings between the access apertures are subject to significant variations particularly from one manufacturer of cassettes to the next. Even minor variations of the dimensions or spacing between the access apertures of the cassette substantially affect the ability of the container of U.S. Pat. No. 4,184,594 to properly retain the cassette. Specifically, in many instances the cassette either will not mount on the projection members or must be forced onto the projection members thereby creating the possibility of damage to the cassette. In other instances, the spacing between the access apertures will result in an extremely loose mounting of the cassette on the projection members. A cassette that is loosely mounted on the low projection members of the container to which U.S. Pat. No. 4,184,594 is directed easily can become disengaged from the projection members as the container is being closed, thus creating the possibility of damage to the cassette as noted above. To overcome these inherent deficiencies of the low height of the projection members, U.S. Pat. No. 4,184,594 also shows embodiments wherein posts of greater height are incorporated into the second projection member. Each post is positioned to be inserted into a sprocket on the reel on the cassette. These posts make proper positioning of the cassette in the container of U.S. Pat. No. 4,184,594 extremely cumbersome, and increase the probability of damage to either the container or the cassette.
Proper positioning of a cassette in the container shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,184,594 is made even more difficult by the fact that the projection members are disposed on the wall that includes the opposed end walls and the front wall of the container. More particularly, the end walls and front walls of the container in U.S. Pat. No. 4,184,594 block both light and vision thereby making it difficult for the user to properly position the cassette.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,291,801 which issued to Robert A. Basili and William B. Wilson on Sept. 29, 1981, and which is assigned to the assignee of the subject application, is directed to a "video cassette storage container" which overcomes several of the deficiencies of the container described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,184,594. More particularly, the video cassette storage container to which U.S. Pat. No. 4,291,801 is directed includes a substantially rectangular bottom wall having opposed front and rear edges and opposed side edges. A substantially rectangular rear wall is hingedly connected to the rear edge of the bottom wall of the container of U.S. Pat. No. 4,291,801, and a substantially rectangular top wall having opposed front and rear edges and opposed side edges is hingedly connected to the rear wall along the edge thereof. Substantially rectangular upstanding front and side walls extend from the top wall adjacent the front and side edges thereof. Thus, when the top and bottom walls are rotated about their respectively hinged connections toward one another and into parallel alignment with one another, the front, rear and opposed side walls and the opposed top and bottom walls define a substantially hollow enclosed container.
The container of U.S. Pat. No. 4,291,801 further includes a means for positively engaging one access aperture of a video cassette. The engaging means is defined by a plurality of sectors which are arranged in a generally circular array. The sectors are configured to positively engage one aperture of either a VHS or Beta cassette. This positive engagement is attributable to both the configuration of individual sectors and the particular arrangement of the array. Thus, the video cassette can be easily but securely mounted on the circular array of sectors and positively and securely held in position.
Despite the many advantages of the container of U.S. Pat. No. 4,291,801, it has been found desirable to develop a container which enables the cassette to be more securely mounted therein.
Accordingly, it is an object of the subject invention to provide a storage container that can readily accept either the VHS or Beta size video cassettes.
It is another object of the subject invention to provide a storage container that will enable either a VHS or Beta cassette to be easily and properly positioned within the container.
It is a further object of the subject invention to provide a storage container for either VHS or Beta cassettes that will substantially eliminate movement of the cassette within the container.
It is yet another object of the subject invention to provide a storage container for VHS and Beta cassettes that will adequately protect the cassette from damage during shipping and storage.
It is still a further object of the subject invention to provide a storage container for VHS and Beta cassettes that will keep foreign matter away from the cassette during shipping and storage.
It is an additional object of the subject invention to provide a storage container that can accommodate VHS and Beta size video cassettes, despite variations in the dimensions and spacings of the access apertures in the outer cover of the cassette.